PA/01/19 7 January 2019
Foreign Minister Marise Payne to visit India
Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, will visit India on 8 and 9 January 2019.
Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Ms Harinder Sidhu, has welcomed the announcement and said the visit is an opportunity to reinforce Australia’s commitment to strengthening the partnership.
“Minister Payne is visiting at a time when our relationship has grown to become a significant partnership. Our shared interests range widely across political, security, cultural and economic fields,” Ms Sidhu said.
“This is the strongest the Australia-India relationship has been, and the Minister’s visit presents an important opportunity to deepen our ties.”
Minister Payne will address the Raisina Dialogue on how Australia and India can work together and with regional partners to deliver a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. General Angus Campbell, Chief of the Australian Defence Force, will also participate at Raisina.
The Minister will meet with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss our deepening regional engagement and the practical steps Australia is taking in response to the India Economic Strategy.
This will be Minister Payne’s first visit to India as Minister for Foreign Affairs and follows the successful visit to Australia of the President of India His Excellency Ram Nath Kovind in November 2018.